Travels of a Female Physician in the Ming Dynasty

"President Yang, what does Empress Defei plan to do..." Yuanbao gasped, waving his hands as he ran in, his face full of fear and panic.

Seeing his posture, I had a bad feeling in my heart, as if the dark cloud in the palace was about to descend again.

"Don't be impatient. Take a deep breath and speak slowly." I calmly sat at the table, teacup in hand, but already in my mind I was wondering: Concubine De had failed in her attempts so far, what else could she do? Was she going to pull in a Taoist priest and a monk to perform a double act?

Yuan Bao leaned against the door frame, took several breaths, and finally finished his words: "The Empress Defei wants to arrange... to arrange for the Third Prince to live with her personal maid Ziyu!"

"what?!"

I nearly spit out my tea and nearly hit the corner of the table when I stood up.

Did I hear that correctly? Arranging for the maid to live with the Third Prince?

How old is the Third Prince? Are you serious, Madam?

"Say that again?" I stared at Yuanbao suspiciously, thinking: The palace fighting methods are getting more and more outrageous. Could it be that Concubine De has lost faith in metaphysics and decided to make trouble in her life?

Yuan Bao nodded vigorously. "Yes, Judge Yang, I've found out everything! Concubine De said Ziyu is her most capable maid, proficient in medicine and able to take care of the Third Prince's daily life. She was specially selected to help him recover as soon as possible."

Several thoughts flashed through my mind: A capable maid? Expertise in medicine? Wasn't this just a spy infiltrating the Third Prince's chambers? Was she planning a different strategy, monitoring the Third Prince's condition and targeting me along the way?

"What is the origin of this purple jade? Have you found out clearly?" I put down the teacup, leaned back in the chair, and thought about the possible conspiracy behind it.

"I've found out everything! She is the confidant of Concubine De who has been with her since she was a child. She seldom shows up in public, but I heard that her medical skills are really good and she has cured many people in the palace of minor illnesses." Yuanbao answered seriously.

I rubbed my forehead and sighed in my heart: Empress Defei's method this time is really direct. It is obvious that she wants to plant a spy next to the third prince.

That evening, Zi Yu was indeed arranged by Concubine De to move into the Third Prince's bedroom.

She looked to be about twenty years old, with a slender figure, delicate features, and a gentle and virtuous appearance.

After she entered the palace, she immediately started to get busy, sometimes helping the third prince to tidy up his clothes, sometimes bringing him water and medicine. Her movements were neat and efficient, and she was indeed quite professional.

I stood by and observed for a while, feeling secretly alert.

"This woman seems weak and harmless, but who knows what her real purpose is?"

Zhu Yuan leaned close to my ear and whispered, "Yang Yuanpan, do you think this Zi Yu is Empress Defei's spy? We have to be careful. She might be here to keep an eye on you and the Third Prince."

I nodded, but I wasn't panicking.

Although Concubine De's move seems clever, it is done in the open after all. As long as I deal with it carefully, she won't take advantage of me.

In the next few days, Ziyu behaved very diligently. Not only did she take good care of the third prince's diet and daily life, she also often shared some simple medical care work with me.

The third prince seemed to be quite dependent on her. After all, this "big sister" was gentle and amiable, which was naturally very attractive to a young child.

"President Yang, the third prince's pulse seems to be better than in the past few days, and his complexion is gradually recovering." Zi Yu said softly, with a hint of respect in her tone, but I always felt that her eyes seemed to be secretly observing me.

I smiled slightly and said, "Miss Ziyu, you are a skilled doctor. The Third Prince's recovery is thanks to you."

Zi Yu lowered her head, a faint smile on her face: "Council Yang has given too much praise. I was just following the Queen's instructions and doing my best to take care of the Third Prince. The real credit goes to you."

I smiled and nodded, but I became more cautious in my heart.

This woman seemed respectful and polite on the surface, but she kept mentioning Concubine De, obviously intending to find out about me.

After a few days, things started to get a little weird.

"President Yang, Miss Ziyu just gave me a prescription, saying it's a warming tonic medicine she developed herself, which can restore the Third Prince's vitality faster." Yuanbao handed me a note with a complicated expression, his tone full of doubts.

I took the note and looked at it carefully. The prescription was indeed a warming and tonic medicine, so there was no big problem. But what was strange was that there was an extra ingredient, Acorus calamus, added to the prescription.

"Stone calamus?"

I frowned. This medicine itself is not toxic, but it has the effect of calming the mind, promoting ventilation and opening the orifices. It is often used on patients with qi deficiency and fatigue.

The Third Prince's current condition does not require this medicine. If taken improperly, it may affect his mind.

"President Yang, should this prescription be given to the Third Prince?" Yuanbao asked in a low voice, obviously feeling a little uneasy.

I sneered, and I had already made a judgment in my mind: Concubine De was playing the "boiling frog in warm water" game, trying to slowly interfere with the Third Prince's condition through this medicine, making him look weaker so that she could continue to intervene.

"Don't use this prescription for now." I said lightly, folding the note and putting it in my sleeve.

That night, I deliberately stayed in the Third Prince's bedroom to keep watch.

In the middle of the night, Zi Yu quietly walked into the room, brought a bowl of medicine soup, and gently placed it on the bedside table.

"Yang Yuanpan, I specially prepared this medicine according to the Queen's instructions. What do you think... do you want to give it to the Third Prince now?" Zi Yu's voice was as gentle as a breeze, as if there was no malice at all.

I already understood her intentions, but I kept a smile on my face. "Miss Ziyu, you've worked hard, but the Third Prince just took some medicine, so it's not advisable for him to take any more warming and nourishing foods for the time being. Let's talk about it tomorrow."

A hint of disappointment flashed across Zi Yu's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and smiled slightly: "President Yang is right, then I will take my leave first." After that, she bowed lightly and turned to leave.

After she left, I looked at the bowl of medicine and sneered in my heart.

"This Empress Defei's methods are indeed becoming more and more covert. However, I will not let her succeed so easily."

In the next few days, I continued to treat the Third Prince's condition steadily according to my own methods, and Zi Yu continued to assist him, but every move she made was filled with subtle temptations.

From time to time she would mention some strange prescriptions or suggest some "folk remedies", with the obvious intention of gradually interfering with my treatment.

However, I was able to cleverly avoid her traps every time and keep the situation firmly under my control without making a sound.

Finally, Zi Yu seemed to realize that her temptation was no longer effective, so she decided to give it a try.

"Counselor Yang, the third prince has not been sleeping well at night recently. I think it may be because the evil spirit has not yet been eliminated. Empress Defei specially asked me to prepare a talisman water. Do you want to try it?" Zi Yu said seriously, holding a bowl of light yellow talisman water in his hand.

"Talisman water? What's this all about?"

I was speechless. Has Concubine De moved to the realm of immortals?

From magicians to Taoist priests, and now to the talisman water, is she going to show me a "Palace Supernatural Grand Prize"?

I wore a professional smile and waved gently, "Miss Ziyu, the Third Prince's health has improved significantly, so there's no need to use these mysterious techniques for the time being. I appreciate Fu Shui's kindness, but for safety's sake, let's focus on medical treatment."

Zi Yu's expression changed slightly. She obviously didn't expect that I would reject her proposal so firmly.

"President Yang, are you dissatisfied with my suggestion?" she asked softly, with a hint of tentativeness and grievance in her tone.

I smiled and said, "Miss Ziyu, you're worrying too much. I just feel that the Third Prince's condition has gradually improved and it's not appropriate to trouble him any further. I will report your kindness, but please leave the treatment to me."

Zi Yu was silent for a moment, and finally had no choice but to retreat.

The contest ended with Zi Yu's exit, and Concubine De's final attack failed to work.

A few days later, the third prince's condition finally improved completely. His face became rosy and he looked energetic.

The Empress Dowager was overjoyed and summoned me to the palace and rewarded me handsomely.

"President Yang, the Third Prince can be where he is today thanks to your miraculous healing skills." The Empress Dowager was all smiles, and was obviously very satisfied with me.

I bowed hastily, but secretly breathed a sigh of relief in my heart: this palace fight has finally come to an end, Concubine De's conspiracy has been completely thwarted for the time being, and I have successfully protected the Third Prince.